After another week away, delivering different material to a diverse number of people, I realise that some of the good ‘old fashioned stuff’ is as relevant today, as it was 20+ years ago.
Some information needs to be covered over and over again because, as we are so busy, we tend to forget to use some of our success strategies from the past.
I covered goal setting to a group of young graduates who are just finishing their 2 year placement and need to forge their careers into something meaningful and lasting.
Only a few had even begun to think this through, which amazed me. (But I am 52 now!) We talked about the GROW model, The Wheel of Life and why we should set SMART goals with SMART action plans.
As the lights started to go on, the motivation to take action, started to be shared. I almost knew that this would happen with this particular group. They had probably experienced goal setting before, but it wasn’t at the right time in their lives. The only goals I was setting, when I was their age, was nothing to do with anything further that 12 hours into my future!
The amazing thing is, that when I delivered this to another, more mature group, the lights went on again. People who were in their chosen career path, and had been for a while, identifying that they wanted other things in their lives. Their dreams were still in their heads and, probably, would always remain there, unless they wrote it down with an action plan. They talked about setting their goals, wrote down action plans and I could sense, would be doing something about them as soon as they left the room.
I think we all need to review things now and then and, for me, the interesting thing was that, because I’d been speaking about goals again and sharing some of mine, it made me commit to doing another Ironman next year and got me into the motorbike shop to buy a new bike (I get it on Thursday next week!). I do, however, need to break that to my wife yet and, as the driveway still needs finishing, she probably has different goals than me….
Goal setting works and is an important part of being successful (in whatever you want). Businesses do it, elite athletes do it, business people do it. If you want something more than you currently have, or something different to what you have – set new goals and take action.
I feel motivated writing this, so I hope you feel the same reading it too.